Knitting-machine.



N0. 673,|4l. Patented Apr. 30, [90L G. E. RUTLEDGE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 16, 1899.)

NiTED STATES 1 PATENT Erica.

GEORGE E. RUTLEDGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEORGE D. WHITOOMB COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

K NITTI'NG MACI -IINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,141, dated April 30, 1901. Application filed December 16, 1899. Serial No. 740,492. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. RUTLEDGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illi- 5 nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines,of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

[ This invention relates to what are known as straight-knitting machines, in which are employed two banks of needles arranged upon inclined plates, which are spaced apart to form aslot through which the fabric passes as I I formed, and the particular feature of the machine involved is the mechanism for casting off the stitches as formed upon the needles.

The invention consists in providingthe machine with removable fixed casting-0E "jacks positioned alternately with the needles, as fully hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a detail transverse vertical section of a knitting-machine of the type named. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of a portion of the machine. Fig. 4 shows details in vertical section and in plan of parts of the machine. Fig. 5 shows one form of the casting-oif jacks in side ele- 0 vation and in plan, and Fig. 6 is a detail inverted plan of the needle pIat-e.

At 9 are shown supporting-rails for the needle-plates 1O 10, and at l1 11 are shown upper rails superimposed upon the needleplates and carrying guide-rails 12, upon which certain reciprocating parts of the machine (not shown) ride. For the purposes of this case the parts 11 and 12 may be treated as one. 40 10 are grooved to receive the needles X, and

their upper edges are recessed for the accommodation of the jacks, as hereinafter more fully described, the grooves and recesses of the needle-plates being arranged alternately, so that the upper edge of each of the needleplates is provided with a plurality of forwardly-projecting fingers 13, which are in line with the grooves and serve as supports for the needles. The upper edges of the rails The upper surfaces of the needle-plates ture 16, registering with a corresponding aperture in the tongues 14, for the reception of a rod 17, so that when the jacks are all in proper position the rod may be thrust in from the end of the needle-plate, so as to pass through all of the jacks and tongues and secure them in position. The lower edge of the forward portion of each jack rests upon the needle-plate 10 at the base of its recess and upon the top of the rail 9, and the lower portion of its front edge is beveled to correspond with the inner face of the rail 9. The upper portion of the front edge of the jack is beveledbackwardly, so that its line is more nearly perpendicular to the direction of movement of the needle. The jacks are supported at their upper rearward corners by a bar 18, interposed between them and the rail 12. This bar 18 has a wedge action for the purpose of securely locking the jacks in position, the face of the rail 12 and the rearward edge of the jack 15, between which the rod is interposed, being slightly divergent and the contacting faces of the bar being correspondingly alined.

The height of the jacks is such that their upper forward corners are just cleared by the needle advancing from the opposite side of the machine. The function of the jacks is to strip the stitch from the needle as it recedes. This function has heretofore been performed by an integral part of the needleplate, and as a result any injury to such part would throw the entire machine out of service for a considerable time and might cause the loss of the entire plate. By providing separate jacks to perform this function in- 5 jury to any of them is quickly repaired by Withdrawing the rod 17, removing the disabled jack, and substituting a new one, and

recesses to form forwardly-projecting tongues, such tongues being transversely apertured in line, fixed casting-off jacks fitting within the recesses o ot p tes, a be ng apertured in register with the apertures of the fr'arneplate tongues, and a removable rod entering the apertures of the tongues and jacks, substantially as described.

2. In a knitting-machine, in combination, a needle-plate, fixed casting-off jacks removably secured at the forward edge of the plate,

and a Wedge-bar fitted between the rearward edge of the jacks and a fixed part of the Ina-- 2L grooved needle-plate having its edge recessed alternately with the grooves, a frameplate abo e th ne dl p at a d ha g its edge recessed in register with the needlep'late recesses to form forwardly-projecting tongues, such tongues being transversely apertnred in line, fixed casting-01f jacks fitting within the recesses of both plates, and being apertured in register with the apertures of the N ep a e tong es, a rod ent r g e apertures of the tongues and jacks, and a wedge-bar interposed between the rear edges of the jacks and a fixed part of the machine, substantially as described.

' GEORGE E. RUFLEDGE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM K. MILL OLLAND,

LOUIS K. GILLSON. 

